Perth Nightclubs

With so many new venues opening in Perth recently, we thought it would be good to take a snapshot of the current state of play for Perth nightclubs. Some of the Perth nightclubs that exist today have been around for years, decades even! However that’s not to say that they haven’t continually been getting revamped with new décor, equipment and layout, far from it. In this article we’ll take a look at the main players in Perth’s nightclub scene and what you can expect at each one.

Although the information in this list was accurate at the time of writing, for the most up to date details, you might want to check the Facebook page of the venue you’re looking to go to. Almost none of the nightclubs on this list have current event information on their website, so the Facebook option, or giving them a call, seem to be the best methods of making sure you’re don’t rock up to a trap night when you thought you were in for a night of retro classics. Now that would be a disaster!

Air

There’s plenty of fun to be had at this Northbridge club, with plenty of big room house and regular fancy dress events. If you enjoy catching celebrities from some of your favourite tv shows, then that’s another reason to get down here and immerse yourself in the plush surroundings.

Ambar

If there was an award for winning Perth nightclub awards then Ambar would have it in the bag. Picking up the gong for best nightclub in Perth for 10 years in a row, their Friday night breaks event Japan 4 (nope, we have no idea where that name came from either), consistently wins Perth’s best club night at the annual Inthemix awards. They have a bunch of other accolades but we think you get the picture by now. If you’re into commercial dance music then Ambar’s not your venue. If on the other hand you’re mad about breaks, techno and house, then head to their website and see what they’ve got coming up.

Amplifier / Capitol

One of the few venues in this list that is located in the CBD, Amplifier Capitol is as its name suggests two venues in one. There’s a beer garden for chilling out when the things get a little heated and our big tip for this venue is to time your arrival well, as the queue on weekends can get massive. The club plays host to heaps of touring acts, and also throws plenty of its own parties for good measure. One of the few venues on this list that always seems to have its website up to date, it’s also one of the best nightclubs in Perth to give it a good nudge, with a closing time of 4am on both Friday and Saturday nights. If you’re a fan of Triple J and RTR FM, which also probably means you’re fairly young and quite possibly sporting a furry face, then get your sprightly bearded self down to this venue.

Club Red Sea

One of only two Subiaco-based venues on this list, Red Sea runs every Friday and Saturday night and some Wednesdays and Thursdays. At the smaller end of the venues, Red Sea has a capacity of 200 and is known for its music policy of vocal house.

Connections

One of the longest running nightclubs in Australia, Connections has been serving it up to Perth’s gay and lesbian community for forty years … yes, since 1975! Although this is definitely a gay and lesbian venue, the club is welcoming to anyone with the right attitude. So what do we love most about Connections? The sound system. It’s an absolute beast. If you know anything about sound systems you’ll know that if a venue is sporting a Funktion-One unit, it’s dead serious about the audio experience. Oh and the music is best in class too, with awesome DJs playing exactly what you would expect any queer club crowd to enjoy. One of the few Perth clubs that keeps their website info up to date, head over there and see if anything tickles your fancy 😉

Eve

Located at the casino, Eve Nightclub is known for playing mainly R’n’B. Logistically a bit trickier to get to than most of the other venues on this list, we would suggest that if you’re going to head there, perhaps you can head to the casino a bit earlier and check out one or two of their other venues before hitting the dancefloor.

Flyrite

Open until 2am on both Friday and Saturday nights, Friday nights are varied with a rotating schedule of events. You’ll find an under 25s clientele going off to trap, hip-hop and Jersey on Saturday’s with the weekly night known as Father. The Villa crew round off the weekend on the underground house tip each Sunday afternoon with their MVMNT session catering to more of an over 25s crowd.

Geisha

If it’s proper house you’re looking for (not the commercial stuff that is played at some of the venues on this list), then Geisha won’t disappoint. This intimate Northbridge club is serious about the genre, so if cool tunes and cool clubbing is what you’re all about then this is your venue of choice. While they have a great stable of local DJ talent, they consistently feature overseas touring DJs, so they have all bases covered.

Hip-E-Club

Another stalwart of the Perth club scene, the Hip-E-Club has been smashing out the tunes since 1988. If commercial and retro party hits are what you’re after, you’ll be in your element at this Leederville hot spot. Home of Perth’s (and possibly Australia’s) longest-running student and backpacker night, the music policy is exactly the same whether it’s Tues, Weds, Fri or Sat. You know what they say … consistency is key!

Metro City

Big events all the time is how we’d describe Metro City. The largest nightclub in Perth with a capacity of 2000+, Metro City regularly plays host to many national and international artists across a wide range of genres. With five different bars and a massive dancefloor, this is definitely the Big Daddy of Perth clubbing.

Metropolis Fremantle

The former Kings Theatre, Metropolis Fremantle is easily the largest nightclub in Fremantle, and is the club of choice for anyone living in the southern suburbs. Metro Freo as it’s more commonly known has been around since 1991 and boasts eight bars, four areas, and befitting a venue of this size, a nice big dancefloor. Similar to Metro City in that it often plays host to a range of national and international touring artists across a range of genres, the venue is also popular week in week out, catering to a crowd up for a range of sounds from retro through to house.

Mint

Below Air Nightclub you will find Mint. Like its upstairs sibling Air, Mint also caters to a commercial crowd with Club Retro every Friday night playing all those smash hits from the 80s and 90s. If you prefer your music a bit more current you can head down to their Poplife night which runs every Saturday. Poplife DJs dish up regular servings of Top 40 tracks to a typically younger demographic that you’d find at the venue on Fridays.

Paramount

If you’re after a more commercial / pop variety then you’ll love Paramount. With all the classic Perth events like bikini and boardshort competitions, and a Friday night that is co-hosted by one of the local commercial FM radio stations, there may not be any surprises but sometimes it’s good to know exactly what you’re going to get. Saturday nights is that classic Aussie venue combo of a cover band on one level and commercial dance tracks on the other … just like a burger with beetroot!

The Skye Bar

The newest kid on the block, The Skye Bar arrived on the scene in April 2015, and while it’s since been pushing the sports bar nature of their offering, they are what we’d call a multi-purpose venue, including a club with live bands and DJs. If it’s commercial you’re after then look no further.

Villa

Another nightclub known primarily for its penchant for hosting national and international touring artists, Villa is another of the Boomtick venues that includes Ambar, Parker and Flyrite. Definitely more of an event-based venue, Villa subsequently has a very diverse clientele depending on what type of acts are playing. Open most weekends and often during the week, Villa is one of the few clubs on this list that has up to date info on their website, so to see if there’s an upcoming gig that you’d like to check out, head over there and check out what they’ve got on the way.

The Library

With four bars over three levels, this Northbridge nightclub operates Friday and Saturday evenings to a very up-for-it crowd. Fridays have two different nights, Sneaky & Dorcia, on a bi-weekly rotation, while on Saturdays it’s the MKT crowd playing commercial house.

So there you have a fairly decent snapshot of the best in Perth nightclubs. While there are some exceptions, the vast majority of these nightclubs can be found in Northbridge, an area of Perth also known for its abundance of fast food outlets. Ah, lots of nightclubs and lots of junk food … it’s a perfect match!